Improvement in propelling canal-boats



JOSEPH A. STERLING,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

lMPROVEMENT IN PROP ELLING CANAUBOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,495, dated November26,1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. STERLING, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented an Improvement in the Application ofScrew-Propellers to Canal-Boats and other vessels, of which thefollowing is a specification:

This invention consists in the arrangement, in the stern of the boat, oftwo screw-propellers at an inclinationto each other and at acorresponding inclination to the boats keelson, whereby the resultant ofthe forces produced by their joint action acts in a line with the boatitself, without any tendency to spread laterally and wash the banks ofthe canal or river which the boat traverses. It also consists in thecombination, with the aforesaid screws, of a chamber in which they arearranged, whereby the washing of the bottom of said canal is prevented.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a horizontal section of acanal-boat having my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal'sectionof the same, and Fig. 3 is an end view thereof. 7

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A represents a canal'boat, which is or may be of ordinary construction,except that in its stern there is a flaring V-shaped chamber, B. To thischamber there leads from the bow of the'boat a water-supply pipe orconduit, 0, and from the sides of the boat there lead thereto otherconduits, D D. E E are two screw-propellers, which are rigidly securedon shafts F F, arranged at or nearly at a right angle to each other andat corresponding inclinations to the keelson of the boat. These shaftsare supported in bearings within the stern-post G of the boat and inbearings I I within the boat. On the portion of the shafts F within theboat itself bevel-gears J J are secured, and are driven in the samedirection by means of an intermediate gear, K, furnished on a shaft, L,which may be driven by a steam-engine or other means. The propellers aresimilarly pitched, and are arranged on those portions of the shaft Fsituated within the chamber B. The rudder N is arranged beyond thestern-post in the usual manner.

The propellers, being rotated by the drivingshaft L, as beforedescribed, produce two forces in the direction of the len gth of theirshafts, and the two, meeting astern of the boat, form one resultantforce which will act on the Water in a line with the boats keelson.

The great advantage ofthis resultant force, produced by two convergingcomponent forces over a single force produced by one propeller, is thatthe tendency of each force to flare outward is counteracted by the sametendency of the other force. Therefore the washing of the banks of thecanal is obviated.

The water is, of course, conducted to the propeller-chamber B by theconduits O D D, and passes off from the stern of the boat. By this meanswater is taken from the bow of the boat, where it most impedes itstravel, and conducted through it astern, thereby greatly facilitatin gthe travel of the boat. The propellers, being arranged within thechamber B, are pro tected from damage, and said chamber, by preventingthe water from being forced either .upward or downward, concentrates theforce,

thereby adding to the propelling power, and also prevents the bottom ofthe canal from being washed.

This invention is particularly applicable to canal-boats on account ofobviating the washing of the bed of the canal. It is also applicable,however, to other uses.

Claim.

The arrangement, in the stern of a boat, of twin propellers, havingtheir axes at corresponding inclinations relatively to the keelson andabout in a plane'parallel therewith, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

JOSEPH A. STERLING.

Witnesses:

MICHAEL RYAN, EDWIN H. BROWN.

